Introducing #110 - Sarah Meth
Let us introduce you to Sarah Meth, a London born and bred singer, who is welcoming herself into the world with her debut track ‘What Does It Mean’. She took a moment to talk to us about North London and the origins of her new track.
Debut single finally out there how does it feel?
It feels good! Slightly strange having something so private out in the open now, but in a good way.
So, London born and bred? What part are you from? What are your favourite things about your home city?
North London born and bred yeah. My favourite thing about London is definitely the people. I spend a lot of my time in South London so I am constantly people watching, when going across the river. I think in London you can always find the everyday strange.
Your debut track ‘What Does It Mean’ is out now, can you tell us what the track is about
It’s essentially asking what it is to be a woman, when identity itself is a construct.
You are twenty now, but this track was written when you were fifteen, does it still hold the same meaning to you?
Yes and no. Yes in the sense that I still have questions around what womanhood is. But I wrote it with a certain innocence and naivety to what entering that maturer phase of life would look like. I’m quite a different person now to who I was then, so it definitely holds a different meaning. At the moment I like to think womanhood can be whatever you want it to be. I don’t think the questions around it ever really stop...
Music was used as a way to navigate yourself through your teenage years, what musical memories do you hold and don't mind sharing with us?
It’s been navigating me through most of my life. I have a memory of being about 3 or 4 and my dad brought home an ‘Aardman’ VHS which was a compilation of short films (made by the people who do Wallace and Gromit.) On this tape there was an Animation of a sexy cat singing to ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ by Nina Simone, I was completely obsessed with it! It was unknowingly the start of deep admiration for someone who’s played a crucial part in influencing the first songs I went on to write (this song being one of them.) It wasn’t until years later I heard my dad playing the song again on record and I made the connection with who she was. I don’t listen to her as much as I used to nowadays, but for me Nina has always been on her own pedestal. I like to save her music for special occasions.
Who would you say are your key musical inspirations?
It changes all the time, honestly. Nina Simone, Tom Waits and Portishead inspired me when I was younger, but I’m also hugely influenced by Radiohead, and The Smiths. Then when I was 18 I discovered the world of folk, so I find singers like Sibylle Baier and Karen Dalton really inspiring. Recently bands like Beach House and Broadcast have been inspiring me too.
If you could describe your music in one sentence, what would it be?
Maybe a bit too honest!
Now the debut track is out there, what next does the world hold in story for Sarah Meth?
I have my first EP coming out pretty soon that I made with my good friend Alex Burey, we’re also working on another one together at the moment. They’re quite different from each other but I love them both, so hopefully other people will too. I’m also going to do my first headline show once the first EP is out, as well as playing some festivals in the summer like Cross The Tracks.